Apparatus for treating furnace-gases and preparing fuel.



B. LOOMIS.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING FURNACE GASES AND PREPARING FUEL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 5, 1910. 1,066,296, Patented July 1,1913.

' s SHEETS-SHEET 1.

- 3 1-1 uaawo'z M RM/meme M B. Loom-Is. AP'PABATUSFOR TREATING FURNACE GASES AND PREPARING FUEL.

APPLICATION FILED MAE. 5, 1910.

Patented July 1, 1913.

' 8 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

B. LQOMI'S. APPARATUS FOR TREATING FURNACE GASES AND PREPARING FUEL.

- APPLICATION TILED MAIL5, 1910. 1 0 29 1 Patented July 1, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

-' charring peat or finely divided wood,'c lean- BURDETT LOQMIS,

UNITED sTATEs PATENT or HARTFORD, comvnc'rrcor, assmnvoa'ro rooms nrILIzATmN:

COMPANY, A CORPORATION or new JERSEY.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING FURNAQE-GABES AND PREPARING FUEL. i

Specification of Letters Patent. Original application filed Ma y28, 1906, Serial No. 319,148. Divided and thisapplioation filed iu h 5,

Patented Ju1 '1 ,.1913.

19 10. Serial Ijo. 547,494.

citizen of; the Unite'd'States, residing at- Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have. invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Treating F urnace-Gases and Preparin Fuel, of which" the following is a specification. p j

This invention relates to apparatus for ing, enriching and utilizing blast-furnace and other gases, separating and Collecting h by-products of condensation'from peat-vapors and gases. v p

- The object of my invention is to provide improved apparatus for cleaning.blast-furnace or produces gases, at the same time charring'peat or divided Wood, such as sawdust, by means thereof, and distilling volatile hydrocarbonsand other products from so i owing to the rapidly diminishin Wo'0d,-'-the'expense of charcoal T1 the peat or wood, thereby enriching or car- .bu'reting the gases and fitting them for use in the smelting operation, or for heating hot blast or other heating" stoves," or for illuminating-purposes, or for operating gas engines or for other purposes in the industrial arts. ,In certain localities wood-charcoal is used for smelting iron ore in blast-furnaces, but, S pp f asbecome almost, if not' quite, prohibitive for smelting purposes. A great, and heretofore,

profitable industry in' certain localities is p v v motonoil, gas o1 l,'creosote, parafiin and. lu-

thereforethreatened with extinction. In

smelting operations and. for generating en-' richedgas; my process and apparatus, atis first used for cleamn and,en-.

the, riching blast furnacegases, =whi e, at the same time, the hot gases serve to distil peat f and 'reducei-t to coke or char-peat and there by enrich the gas; The volatile hydrocarbon matter distilled from the peat and car-:

ried by the blast-furnace gases is partly; condensedto the condition of peat tar and;

peatfltar-water and the a-Imnom'a .is also condensed. A certain portion. of the .v olatilen etter in the -p'e at ;ts c0nvferted pinto-1.

rich hydrocarbon gas which serves for enriching the blast-furnace gases" These.

the: enriched gas, :after. ass ing the con-' denser, is returned and urne'd in "a gas heating furnace in which the blast-furnace gases may be additionally heated in pipes if -'required, to adapt them for more effectively distilling andcharr'in'g the peat The gases passed from .the blast-furnace may sometimes be not sufficiently hot for char-' .ring peat and for this reason may. be addi ,tionally heated before admission to the charring chambers. Thej gases not required for this heating operati fbn. may be stored ina holderand withdrawn forother uses as above indicated.v Two varieties or qualities of charred peat will be made, "Which'may [be designated as peat-cokeand peat steampeat-coke serves as a substitute the nianufacture. of

for wood refinediron and for -other purposes. For

this purpose the peat-coke may-be compressed orconsolidated' in the form of brijquets to such .adegree that it possesses. almost the sfa'mestrength of compression as coke producedjfrom. coal. The peat steam "coke-burns ,with' a flame and-serves. as a .fuel j fcr'locomotives, and for. use'in factories and private houses; it ma also be compressed- 1 into briquets. v

From the peat tar may be manufactured briczitingoi l. .Moi st sawdust'or other waste divided wood may be used and treated in substantially the same manner as above de; scribed. with reference to peat, producing .similarproducts ofdistillatio-n, and a simi lar residual charred product, which. may

be used for. the same purposes as peatcoke and which may be compressed into briquets.

denser yields under. proper treatment, am-

.[monium sulfate, calcium acetateand me thylicfalcohol, commonly known as wood ialcohol. Y

-The mtter constituting my invention will be? defined in; iecla m Q-T PI willino' -thedetails of construct aswa m ail-me method The peat tar-water separated. in the con operating'the same by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 represents an elevation of the apparatus with parts in section. Fig. 2

. represents a top plan view of the same. Fig.

3 represents a sectionalfeleva-tion of apparatus for excavating and drying peat, a pug mill, a peat charring chamber and suitable connecting conveyers for supplying blocks of peat to the charring chamber. Fig. 3

represents a sectional detail view, on en- 1 larged scale, of part of the peat drier. Fig.

4 represents a sectional elevation of a condenser and a connected fan blower.

construction and provided with a charging hell a/ L'The gas take-off pipe or .downcomer a-may lead from the top of the furnac in the usual manner and at its lower charring peat or divided vood. For the purpose of illustration, I show'two char- .ring chambers connected in each series, so

that hot gas maybe passed up anddown in one direction and then reversed and passed inthe opposite direction through the series. I will describe one series only and the operation therein, as both series will be constructed and operated alike. The charring chambers C and C are constructed of plate steel, or boiler iron, riveted together in a well known manner, and are rovidedwith top charging openings and tig t fitting lids c and, at the bottom, with discharging doors a. The gas pipe a leading fromheater 41* connects by a branch pipe .1, having a valve b, with the return bend pipes J in heating furnace B, by pipes j with the-interior of furnace B and with the bases of the charring'chambers C and C by means of branch pipes having valves 12 and b, as shown 111 Fig. 2. ,A gas outlet pipe D connects by Eranch pipes having valves (Z, d with the ottoms of the chambers .C and C and leads from the last chamber into the'base of the condenser E where it terminates in a curved dip-pipe D having its lower end sealed in the liquid. The chambers C and G are also connected at the top by a pipe Gr having a valve 9, so that hot gases may be passed up Y and down in either direction through them.

The charring chambers C, G are supported on suitable posts or foundations'P, for providing chambers or passage-ways below The blast furnaoe'A maybe of the usual 'mainpipe a them in which are laid tracks 39. On this track are run. cars p'adapted to be centered below the-discharging doors 0' for receiving coke, charcoalor char-peat from the chamher. The blast-furnace gases may at-times be too low in temperature for effectively charring peat; and I therefore provide for heating such gases before admission to the charring chamber. A gas heating furnace B is provided with a series of return-bend pipes J, with which connects a pipe J having a valve Z leading from the main pipe, a An outlet pipe J ,'l1LVlI1g avalve j, leads from heating pipe J'back into the A valve a is connected in the main pipe a between the branch pipes J and J as shown in Fig. 2. By means of these pipe and valveconnections, gas may be passed either-through the heater B and thence into the charring chambers or directly from the blast-furnace into the charring chambers. After the charring chambers G, C have-been filled with peat or moist sawdust in bulk or compressed blocks, as shown in Fig. 3, blast furnace gas is preferably passed directly from the furnace through pipe a into and through the chambers till most'of the moisture and part of the volatile hydrocarbons are driven out and then valve a may be closed and valve 6 opened. The blast furnace gas is new highly heated by passage through'heating pipes J in furnace B and is then passed by pipe J into pipe (1 beyond valve a and thence into and through the charring chambers for continuing-the distillation till the peat thereinis suitably charred. While drying out the bodies of peat in chambers J, 0 by means of gas direct from the furnace, the top lids c may at first be open, especially during-the early stages when much moisture is to be driven 01f, but all valuable vapors will be condensed. The heating furnace B may be heatedby gas drawn ofi from the holder through pipe M and admitted by pipe M having a valve m, into the base of the heater. An air inlet pipe 0, having a valve o, connects with pipe M for supplying air to the burner. The burner may be of a well known kind and two or more of them may be arranged at different points in the circumferential wall of chamber B and at the base thereof, as shown. The waste products of combustion may pass ofi from the furnace through the chimneys 6 Fig. 1. The furnace B may also be heated directly by hot blastfurnace gas, admitted through valved pipes j, Fig. 1, or by hot gas directly from any other gas producing furnace. The condenser E may be of the well known water tube variety, being constructed with upper and lower tube sheets 6 and 0, connected by tubes e and provided -with upper and lowengas chambers, as indicated in Fig. 1. An overflow tar-water pipe other "furnaces,

" suitable support, and. pump is provided with a 'rotary' cutter i and with a dist Y air from the top of the drying chamber, 100

and a seriesof supporting rods 1- at different heights. Below the crib is placed a pug 3" one above another, a series of horizontal dryingbeits'or aprons u on which the blocks iii" peat, as delivered from the pug gas outlet pipe M leads from the holder and As theaground Peat is discharged from this elevating-conveyor T is passed over rollers 15, t, t. and so arranged that the blocks of 'place infthe upper part of drying chamber 5 notc es f, havinga valve, leads from the lower gas chamber of "the condenser into a tar well or trap F. A gas outlet pipe H, having a valve h, connects the. upper gas chamber of thecondenser with an .exbauster K-and a pipe H leads therefrointothe holder L. A

conduct-s gas-tdhesting "furnace B and to i for use as. fuel therein. With the tops-of "the charring chambers G l and C I referably connect water supply pipes N, ving valves m, for supplyingwater-to wash out dust and ashes from the i charred peat, and cool the same so that it i will not be ignited when being discharged F frmn thefcharring chambers. Dischargedj pipes N having valves a, are connected taking oil" washwater, carrying dust andf ashes froanthe' coke or char-peat. Cold gas 3 may be admitted through ipes. N, circa; lated in contact with the c erred material? and passed ofi through thebottom pipes N i This cold gas wiil'efi'ectively .cool the material and improve its quality without in-.; juriously wetting it. v Suitable apparatus for excavating peat: froma'bog, drying-it, forming briquets and. feeding the bricks to a 'charmingchamber 9 is illu trated in 3. f A centrifugal ex- F 12g pump I and a oon'hecting electric motor Q are mounted on a bar or other charge pipe if leading tothc top of a drying crib lt. The crib R is provided with slots mill S and an operating electric motor Q}.

mill it iscut into "blocks by a cutter s.-- vAn peat lee-taken from the pug. mill and discharged -at-the top of'the drying chamber U. In this-drying: chamber is arranged,

of *areytmversed back' and forth thropgh the chamber while currents of hot air are 'circniatedfin contact therewith for car E f-81f the contained moisture. The

mill;;are.-ao t and would not make coke sufiiciently dense and hard tor the most successful use blast furnace. I therefore U, preferably at the end of the second drying apron a, a pair of squeezing rollers Fig. Bfitbnough which the blocks are passed I and squeezed or compressed so as to make Qthen more'dense andhard. Asecond coni veyer T carries blocks 02. peat fromi theiowcr apron u to the working floor VJ, z

ahavc the charring chambers; Aperfnrated l horizontal partition a is placed below the drying belts for distributing currents of hot air through the whole area of the chamber. In a chamber below this partition is arranged a coil or serpentine. of hot air pipe X having an upper perforated discharge pipe as adjacent to the partition. Hot air is conveyed to the coil X by a pipe at leading from a heating furnace or oven B, as shown in Fig. 4;:

With the lower end of the tube chamber of the condenser is connected a fan blower Y by means of a pipe The cold air circulated between the tubes 2" servesto cool and condense the vapors passing through the tubes While, 'at the same time, the air becomes heated. This heated air is passed 011' from the upper end of the tube chamber by a valved pipe 3 into theseries of pipes J of a heating oven-or stove B .In these pipes, the air is further heatedby burning gas admitted by burners m in the base of p the furnace. This gas will be supplied from holder L. 'This heated air is then passed through pipe at into the heating'pipe in the I base of the drying chamberU. On a suitable support near the top of the drying chamber is placed an exhaust fan V, having an inlet pipe'v leading from the upper part of chamber U and an outlet pipe 1) discharging into the outer air. By means of the devices for heating air and discharging it into the base of the drying chamber and the exhaust fan for drawing ofi' moist the blocks of peat traversed back and forth on theaprons are rapidly dried and prepared for feeding into the charring chamber Cl I The charring chambers having been filled 105 with blocks of peat and the blast'furnace or other gas producer being in operation, the

hot gases discharged through the take-0E pipea into the header a are-passed therefrom through pipe a5 and valves a and b, which are open, into the base of charring chamber C. The valve 9 being open, hot gases will pass up through chamber C, and down through chamber 0 taking up volatile matter and thence by outlet pipe D into the base of the condenser E. The dust and ashes carried by the-blast furnace gases'will be arrested incon-tact with the lower layers of peat. Gases are passed directly from the blast furnace through the 'charring chambers, until the peat-therein is freed from a most of the contained moisture and volatile constituents andis in the best condition for readily char-ring and-making coke and charpeat. The blast-furnace gas is'now, prefen 125 ably, through the-heater B by '-c'los-' ing vitl-ve a and opening valve b, thereby causing the gasto pass through the heating pipes J which are heated by burners sup- .plred by-gaspipe M and air-pipe 0. The 130 yields ammonium sulfate,

, return bend pipes J. The valve heated blast furnace gas is now passed by pipe J and pipe a through valve 6" into the charring chamber C and is thence passed from the top thereof through pipe G down through chamber C and is taken off at the base thereof through valve (.1 and pipe D to the condenser E. The volatile matter is condensed and the fixed gases are drawn off through the condenser by theexhauster and may be passed directly to the holder L. The gas pipe M may conduct part of the gases back to the base of the heating furnace where they are burned to heat furnace B and the gases which are passed through pipe J. B-y .means ofthe hot gases which pass into the chamber C the peat is gradually distilled and charred, giving oif its volatile hydrocarbons which are mixed with and carried off by the gases. The gases, still hot, pass from the chamber C through upper pipe G and thence through the peat in chamber C where distillation and charring are, partially effected and then, the gases are passed off through pipe D. After thepeat in chamber C has become partially or sufficiently distilled and charred, the inlet valve Z2 is closed and the inlet valve 6 is opened, admitting heated gases directly into the base of chamber C. Valve 03' being open and valve (Z closed, gas will now be passed from chamber C th rough pipe D to the condenser, as before described.

In the condenser there is separated from the gas, tar and tar-water which flow off through pipe f into atank F, which in practice will be provided with a trap or liquid seal. The tar and tar water will be afterward separately treated for obtaining'valuable products. The peat-tar yields motor oil, gas oil, creosote and paraffin. The peat tar water, under proper chemical treatment, calcium acetate,

and'methylic alcohol, or wood spirit.- The gas, after passing the condenser, contains a valuable percentage of noncondensable carbureted hydrogen, making it sufiiciently rich for incandescent gas lighting, for motive power in gas engines, for heating forge furnaces and various other uses.

WVhen it happens that the blast furnace or other gases are not hot enough for e'fiectively distilling and charting peat, they are passed first into the heating furnace B by closing valve (1' and opening valve 1), and are therein heated by passing through the j in pipe J bein 0 en. hot asis assed on'throu h s P n a pipe 0. and is admitted therefrom either through yalve b or b.into one 'or the other of the'chambersi C, ,C where the charring operating is conducted,as above described.

For the purpose of heating furnace l3 and the pipe J therein, gas is drawn from the holder through pipes M and M and valve m being open, is passed to the burner. At the same time, valve 0 is open, admitting air to the burner. The peat having been properly distilled and charred in the chambers of the first series, the blast furnace gases are shut off therefrom and may be directed into the second series of charring chambers where the. charring operation may be repeated substantially as above described. Water maynow be admitted through the pipes N into the tops of the chambers containing charred peat for cooling thesame and washing 'outthe deposited dust and ashes and at this time the top lids or covers 0 may be opened for permitting the escape of steam. The waste washwater, carrying dust and ashes, will be passed off through pipes N 'by opening valves 12 The coke or char-peat, having been washed and cooled, may be discharged from the chambers through the bottom doors 0 into cars p, I

and fed inany well known manner to the blast furnace or otherwise used. Charges of ore, char-peat, and limestone will beprepared in substantially the same manner as with wood charcoal and fed to the top ofthe blast furnace.

Instead of using water for cooling the charred material, cold gas may be admitted through the pipes N, circulated incontact with the charred material and passed ofi through the bottom pipesNF. The charred material after having been sufliciently cooled may be drawn off by any suitable means from the charring chambers and passed through briquetting machines for compressing itinto hard, dense briquets which tively used in a blast furnace, a steam boiler furnace or for domestic heating and cooking.

I do not herein claim the process oftreat-- ing and utilizing blast-furnace gases and preparing peat for fuel, as that is made the subject Serial 28, 1906, co-pending'with the present appli-. cation and of which applicatidn, Serial Number 319148, the'present is a-division.

Having described claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Apparatus and preparing peat for fuel, comprising a matter of claims in my application, I Number 31 9148, originally filed May my invention, what I for treating furnace gases may be effecfurnace for producing hot' gas, a gas heater,

a -charring chamber for peat means for admittingv hot gas from said furnace and heater to the charring chamber, an exhauster for drawinghot gas through the peat, connections for drawing off gas from the charring chamber, whereby the furnace gas may be cleaned of dust and ashes and peat distilled-and. charred for enriching ,the cleaned furnace as;

Apparatus and preparingblast-furnace,. two peat charring chambers or treating furnace gases peat for fuel, comprising a connected at the top, means foradmitting hot gas from the blast furnace at the lower ends of the charring chamber and passing it in reverse directions through the peat, an exhauster and pipe connections for drawing off gas from the base of either charring chamber and means connected with the charring chamber for admitting a cooling fluid to the charred peat.

3. Apparatus for treating furnace gases and preparing moist material for fuel, comprising a blast-furnace, two orv more peat charring' chambers, pipes connecting them, one with another whereby gas may be passed in opposite directions through them, a gas take-ofi' pipe leading from the blast-furnace and havin a pipe and valve connection to each cham er, and a gas outlet pipe and valve connection from each chamber, whereby hot blast-furnace gas may be passed first in one direction and then in the reverse direction through bodies of peat in the chambers for cleaning the gas, distilling volatile vapors and charring peat.

4. The combination with a. blast-furnace, of twoor 'more peat charring chambers, a valved pipe directly connecting two chambers, one with another, a gas take-ofi pipe,

leadmg from the blast-furnace and a valved pipe connecting it with each chamber at one end, a valved gas outlet pipe connecting with each chamber at the opposite end, and a connected exhauster.

5. The combination with a blast-furnace, of a series of peat charring chambers connected by valved pipes in series, whereby gas 6. The combination with a blast furnace,

of a gas-heating furnace containing pipes for the flow of gas, means for heating said furnace and pipes, a pair of upright peatcharring chambers, a pipe and valve connecting them at the top, pipes leading from connected pipes therein and means for heating them, of a pair of peat distilling and charring chambers, a valved pipe connecting them at the top, suitable pipe and valve connedtions for passing blast-furnace gas through the heater to the charring chambers or directly from the blast furnace past or around the heater to the charring chambers, pipe and valve connections at the base of the charring chambers, and a connected exhauster, whereby gas at a comparatively low temperature may be first passed directly from the blast furnace through the bodies of peat for-cleaning the gas and carrying 01f moisture from the peat, and then more highly heated as passed up and down through the bodies of peat for charring the same and enriching the gas with volatile hydro-carbon.

8. The combination with a charring chamber, and means for supplying it with hot gas, of a. condenser, a pipe and valve connection from the cha'rring chamber to the condenser, means for drying peat or other moist material and delivering it to the charring chamberpan air forcing device connecting with the tube chamber of the condenser and a pipe connection for conveying hot air from said tube chamber to the peat drier.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature inpresence 0 two witnesses.

BURDETT LOOMIS.

ViTitnesses:

HERBERT W. WrLsoN, CHAS. E. HARPER. 

